We were sent a copy of Eco-friendly Crafting with Kids by Kate Lilley, who writes the hugely popular Mini-eco blog. I’ve been a fan of her blog for years, using one of her shadow puppet templates to make a Halloween tshirt for the toddler back in 2011. The book is as lovely and colourful as her blog and includes 35 projects designed for preschoolers up to and including the age of 5. The projects are split into themes: homemade materials, music, nature, recycling bin, paper and card, sewing and threading, science and a bonus section of boredom busters at the…
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It’s been a long time since I did anything with my socks, except wear them. The one and only time I’ve made a sock monkey was back in 2008 but they are still very much in vogue. Sock Puppet Madness Take Bawston the ornery cat puppet, for example. He’s a baseball fan with a questionable temper, so watch what you say to him. A more friendly guy is Sebastian Metaphor. He may seem aloof with his hipster appearance but behind those sleepy eyes lies a heart of gold. If you are a sophisticated sort why not have a crack at…
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Along with our handmade Valentine’s Day cards I thought it would be fun to make our own wrapping paper too. I love using brown paper as it is so easy to personalise with washi tape, stickers or paint. I saw packs of heart stickers in my local Tiger store, which is where I buy most of my craft supplies. I knew these would be perfect to make our own paper to wrap our Valentine’s Day gift. Handmade Valentine wrapping paper supplies: brown paper, red heart stickers Handmade Valentine wrapping paper The toddler adores stickers so enjoyed this little project. I…
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Do you remember last year I told you about Good Natured who produce a range of pesticide residue-free brand of fruit and vegetables. I made a rather delicious Indian Shepherd’s Pie with their Splendid Spuds. Well they have recently launched their brand new winter range of Succulent Strawberries and we were sent some to try. Today has not been kind to us so this afternoon I created a perfectly healthy winter smoothie using Good Natured Succulent Strawberries and Good Natured Ban-tastic Bananas. The children love smoothies and I have to admit although this was the first time I’ve ever tried making…
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I’ve tried to make something a little different this week with Whitworths sugars – I’ve baked a heart inside a cupcake. I used a favourite recipe to make a chocolate cake batter which I cooked in a square tin. When it had baked and cooled I cut out small hearts using a cookie cutter. I then placed each heart in a cupcake case and added a generous dollop of vanilla cake mixture around each one. When they were baked and cooled I iced each one with yummy vanilla buttercream. A delicious surprise in each one and perfect for your Valentine!…
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If you ever ask the toddler what he wants to do he’ll answer painting. He absolutely loves sticking paper to the table, choosing a pot of paint and being creative. Hand print and thumb print animals are his current obsession so what better than hand print Easter bunnies for Easter gifts? You will need: paper, paint, black and red marker pen First of all stick your paper to the table, we use washi tape, to ensure the corners stay down. Choose which hand you want to use and sponge paint over the palm and fingers. Carefully press down the palm…
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For some reason I decided I wasn’t busy enough and challenged myself to try 10 different craft projects this year. I’m really bad at falling in love with a picture in a magazine, buying supplies and never getting round to making it. No more! This year I am working my way through my stash of projects and trying really, really hard to not buy craft books, fabric or anything else. I’ll admit I’ve failed terribly at this and have some amazing craft books to tell you about 🙂 Anyway, so far I’ve tried my hand at applique houses which was…
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We love making sun catchers. Our sitting room faces south which means we get a lot of lovely sun light on the window – perfect for handmade sun catchers! After the success of the ones we made last year we thought we’d make some for Valentines Day too. Easy Valentine sun catchers You will need: card, scissors, coloured pieces of cellophane (we used sweetie wrappers), sticky tape and bakers twine. We drew round cookie cutters to make heart and circles shapes. This meant they were all the same shape and size. Then we carefully cut out the middle of each…
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I’m a huge fan of Elyse Major’s blog, Tinkered Treasures, so was very happy to be sent a copy of her new book to review. Adding charm to the everyday is the concept behind Elyse Major’s first book, Tinkered Treasures. It features more than 35 projects, each craft is designed for beginners and can easily be elaborated with, according to your own skill level. Tinkering is the name given by Elyse to the transformation of everyday items. Through you can pick up some great ideas for embellishing, repurposing and altering using items you’ll already have. The projects are split into…
